Oct 11th Mousehold Heath

Moth Night at Mousehold Heath

It was Moth Night at Mousehold Heath last night. It was an exclusive gathering of four people (and a dog) as Will (the warden at Mousehold) decided to set up the trap for an extra moth session that was not on the site's main events schedule. As it has been unusually warm for October this year, it was interesting to see what different species were flying. It turned out to be a great night for moths as they started arriving as soon as the light of the trap was turned on.

Merveille du Jour

There were many colourful moths landing into the trap last night. The best of which was this green beauty. This is a merveille du jour, one of the few species that's found in the UK with a French name rather than an English one. In case you don't know French, merveille du jour translates as wonder of the day, a beautiful name for a beautiful moth. It is an unmistakable autumn moth and last night, we had many fly into the trap. This was such a good looking moth that I couldn't resist but to take photo after photo of at least three different individuals.

Barred Sallow

The moth trap was starting to resemble the colour scheme of Norwich City's football kit. While the  merveille du jours represented the green half of the kit, there were plenty barred sallows being lured into the trap filling it with a splash of yellow. Other highlights of the night include a feathered thorn, a Double-striped Tabby, a black rustic, a least carpet and a November moth.

Black Rustic

Double-striped Tabby

Least Carpet

November Moth

Beautiful Hook-tip

Feathered Thorn